Lay the Answers
by Emotistic Optimistic
Summary: It's time for Iduna to tell the truth about her past to Agnarr. If it can help Elsa, then it's worth it


Autumn had arrived in Arendelle, with the first flush of color in the trees and just a hint of winter's chill flitting into otherwise balmy days. As much as the turn in seasons warned of the harsh winter Arendelle was known for, there was no denying it was one of the most beautiful times of year.

Except, worryingly, in one room of the castle, where winter had already come.

From her spot on the balcony, Iduna could see a window frosted over from the inside. So Elsa was having a bad day…this was the third time this week. It was so much harder now; Elsa was seventeen, far past the days where cuddling close and telling stories could make things better. She couldn't even remember the last time her eldest had let herself be hugged for longer than a moment.

Iduna sighed, pulling her scarf tighter around her shoulders as she looked out toward the sea. Something had to be done, but _what? _Elsa couldn't just be left to hide in her room for her whole life. She had to _live. _

A chill wind pulled at the strands of hair that had escaped from her braids, lingering on her face for a moment. Despite herself, she gave a small smile.

"Hello," she murmured. "You came quite a ways, didn't you?" Another breeze tugged at her hair, and her smile softened. "Do you still remember me after all this time?"

A stronger gust answered her question, pushing her gently toward the balcony's edge. She gripped the railing as the wind continued out toward the sea, a silent beckoning to follow. She knew where it wanted her to go, of course. The wind had always been her friend, and friends were remarkably good at delivering hard truths. And, despite her fears, Elsa needed to…

"You look pale, Iduna."

The wind stilled as a soft kiss was pressed to the back of her head. She turned around, giving a small smile as Agnarr's warm hands rested on her arms.

"Well, royal life doesn't allow much time for going outside," she said with a small shrug, idly tugging at his jacket's lapels. He sighed, arms loosely looping around her waist.

"I can tell when you're worried," he murmured.

"That's not new."

"More than usual."

Iduna bit her lower lip, focusing very hard on Agnarr's cravat for a moment. "I think…Elsa might be getting worse," she whispered. She looked over toward the frosted window, and Agnarr followed her gaze with a deep sigh. "She's practically grown now. She shouldn't be locked away in her room like this. She should be _out_, learning about Arendelle, meeting her people…"

"I know."

"She's miserable, Agnarr."

"I _know_." Agnarr's voice grew sharp, but he immediately rubbed Iduna's arms in a silent apology. "Believe me, I want to help her as much as you do. But…but we've done all we can." He took a deep breath, head falling back as his shoulders sagged. "If we could just figure out _why _she has these powers, then…"

The wind picked up again, impatiently tugging at Iduna's hair and scarf. _You know why, _it seemed to whisper. _So tell him!_ She bit her lip harder and subtly shook her head. She couldn't. Not…not with what had happened in the forest. And it'd been so long…Agnarr would never forgive her for keeping a secret like this for so long.

The wind blew sharper and colder, enough for Agnarr to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. She grimaced as she pressed her cheek against his broad chest. Well. She'd never been chided by an element before, but she was fairly certain that was what had just happened. And…the wind was right. This was what was best. For Elsa…and for her, too. She shut her eyes tightly as she rested against him, taking a moment to brace herself.

"Iduna." Fingers lightly brushed over her hair, his thumb grazing her ear softly. "What else is bothering you?"

She didn't answer, even as another gust of wind tugged at them. Agnarr's hand cradled her head, gently guiding it upwards so she could look at him.

"I love you." His voice was so soft, and his green eyes only confirmed his words.

"I need to tell you about my past. And where I'm from." The words spilled out of her, and she tried to look away. Before she could even tilt her head, though, Agnarr brushed a stray hair from her face, coaxing her to lean into his touch as he stroked her face.

"I'm listening."

Another breeze punctuated his words, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm from the Northuldra tribe. I snuck into your wagon when the troops retreated. I was worried about your injuries and—" She stopped speaking as Agnarr's hands drew back, his eyes wide.

"_What? _I-Iduna, you're not making sense. You can't be…that's _impossible._"

Iduna pressed her lips into a hard, straight line, and she lifted her head to fully meet her husband's eyes.

"I am part of the Northuldra people," she said, voice stronger. It took all of her court training, but she spoke calmly and evenly, trying her best to make it seem like her heart wasn't trying to leap out of her chest. "The people of the sun, who live in harmony with the elements."

A quick breeze teased at her hair as a silent _well done!_ Agnarr, however, simply stared at her, still holding her arms as his eyes darted over her face, giving her a glimpse of how hard his mind was working. "You're…Northuldra?"

"Yes."

"From the north, where the mist is?"

"Yes."

A look Iduna couldn't quite place crossed his face, somewhere between confusion and…hurt. He blinked a few times, then shook his head before looking at the ground. "Why…why are you telling me this _now?_" He lifted his head, brow creasing. "It's been nearly _thirty years_, Iduna."

Iduna's mouth trembled. _Don't break. Don't get too emotional. Queens are level-headed_. She gripped his lapels tighter, wrinkling them.

"Because…because I think it has something to do with Elsa."

Agnarr's eyes widened, and his face went stony. But he didn't speak, letting her continue.

"We…I mean, in my tribe, we live with the spirits. And some of us favor different elements…" Her mouth twitched as a breeze wrapped around them. "…but none of us have innate magic. So for someone to have the powers she has, to have an element _in _her…she's meant for something _more._ Much more than just ruling a kingdom. And I think…I think she might be the key to righting the wrong that happened all those years ago."

While Iduna's voice had lowered to an excited whisper, Agnarr's face had steadily grown darker, and he gave his head a sharp shake at his final words.

"No. _No. _I don't care what you are, Iduna, but I'm not going to…to fill my daughter's head with nonsense about being some sort of _chosen one._ This isn't some prophesy, it needs to be _fixed._"

"There's nothing to _fix, _Agnarr! She was born with these powers, it's who she _is_," Iduna replied through her teeth, backing out of his hold. _Don't break. Don't make a scene._ Her internal reminders faltered as Agnarr waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine, then we won't 'fix' her. But I am _not _putting my daughter in danger because of some…some backwoods _fairy tale._"

"They aren't _fairy tales!_" Iduna snapped, composure finally breaking as anger flared inside her. "This is _real. _This was…this _is _my life!"

"Our _daughters _are our lives. _Arendelle _is our lives. And…"

"There's more to the world than Arendelle!" Iduna shouted. "And…and that sort of attitude is probably why the battle broke out in the first place!"

She pushed past Agnarr before he could respond, quickly heading back into the castle. The wind blew hard enough to rattle the castle windows, but she refused to look back, instead trying hard to stem her tears as she hurried through the halls.

She'd known it would be hard to tell him the truth. But she didn't know it would _hurt._

When the door to their bedroom opened, Iduna was furiously rebraiding her hair, trying to keep every unruly strand in place. She stayed focused on her task, eyes shut as she twined her hair into the most complicated braid she could. She only stopped as she felt a wide, warm hand rest over her own.

"If we're going to talk about this, I want to talk to my best friend," Agnarr said quietly. "Not Queen Iduna of Arendelle."

Iduna kept her face composed, but she let her hands drop to her lap as Agnarr's fingers threaded through her hair, gently freeing it from her braids. He worked in silence, until he was simply combing through the dark waves.

"All those years, I've been wondering who it was that saved me. I've been haunted by that voice for years," he murmured. "And I was foolish enough to not realize I've been hearing it for thirty years."

"Well…in your defense, you were concussed." She leaned back against him, shutting her eyes as his hands dropped to her arms to give them a gentle squeeze.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She sighed, not daring to open her eyes yet. "After what happened…with how much you distrusted my tribe, I…I thought you would hate me." Her mouth trembled as she felt hot tears starting to form beneath the lids. "I didn't know what happened that day, I still don't. But…but even if your people betrayed mine or mine betrayed yours, I…I…" She swallowed, finally opening her eyes to look up at him, resting a hand on his arm. "I knew you didn't deserve to die."

Agnarr lifted a hand to gently stroke the side of her face, gazing at her silently for a long moment, as if he was seeing her properly for the first time.

"How could you ever think I could hate you?" he whispered, sounding as if he could barely get the air out of his lungs. He knelt down beside her, resting a hand on her leg as he looked up at her entreatingly. "I'm so sorry, Iduna. You've had to carry this so long. And I didn't even realize…"

This time, she pressed her hand to his cheek, and he leaned into it without a moment's hesitation before letting out a soft laugh.

"I don't know how to repay you for saving my life. I already gave it to you on our wedding day."

A soft, choked laugh escaped Iduna, but she bit her lip a moment later. Carefully, she cupped his face, tilting it up to look at her.

"Then will you listen to me? Please, Agnarr?"

He looked up at her, brow creasing again. "Yes. I said 'I'm listening' before, and I still am now."

Iduna smiled a bit, then lowered herself off the seat to sit on the plush rug below, patting for Agnarr to sit beside her, just as they had as children. "So you know that we lived with the elements."

"Of course. And…you had a…connection with the wind."

Iduna's eyes lit up. "You remember?"

Agnarr smiled wryly. "Even if I didn't, I think the windstorm I found myself in after you came back inside was a clue."

She chuckled. "She's not very subtle. A bit like my mother in that respect."

"I wish I could have met her."

Iduna half-smiled as she looked up at him. "I wish you could have, too." She shook her head. "But we can discuss this later. Now, we need to talk about Elsa." She adjusted her scarf over her shoulders. "But my mother taught me a kulning, a call. When all else fails, she told me, the spirits will be able to help. So when I found you…I called out."

"And that was the call I heard?"

Iduna nodded. "I just…I wanted the fighting to stop. But after you were in the wagon…the mist came." She bit her lip hard, staring down at the floor. "For years, I thought that was the answer. That the only way they could help was to…trap everyone. To keep the Northuldra people hidden away from the world, where even I couldn't see them again." She let out a long breath. "And then…we had Elsa. And the moment I saw her powers…it was the spirits, Agnarr. She…"

"She's their payment for helping," Agnarr said gravely, but Iduna shook her head.

"No. _She _is their _answer._" She looked up at him as he gave her a curious look, then took off her scarf. She pointed to the snowflake design embroidered on it. "Look. Each of these four diamonds represent an element. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. But then look here. It's…"

"A…fifth element? But ice isn't an element."

"No, it's a _bridge, _joining the four together and bringing them to us. And in our legend, when our connection to nature is severed, a bridge will be made to bring us back together." Iduna bunched the scarf in her hands as she looked up at Agnarr, eyes bright. "Don't you see? Elsa is nature and humanity in one person. _She _is the _bridge_."

Agnarr looked down at the scarf, then back to Iduna. She could see him wanting to dismiss her statement, the flash of fear that came into his eyes whenever something beyond his understanding was brought before him. He took a long breath.

"We can't send her off to be a chosen one," he said softly. "She's too fragile."

"She's not as fragile as you think." Even as Iduna said the words, she could feel the lack of conviction in them. There was strength in Elsa, yes, but it was buried deep inside of her. And with the way she was…she'd never thaw herself enough to find it.

Agnarr shook his head, bringing his hand over his face. "I…I don't doubt you," he said after a moment. "In fact, I believe you. I do, Iduna. This…this has made the most sense out of everything so far, even if it…"

"Sounds like a fairy tale?"

Agnarr looked up at her, then sighed. "Even if it's something I don't understand." He took her hand. "This isn't my world. Outside of Elsa, contacting the trolls is the closest I've come to magic. So…so you have to understand why I can't just…just send my daughter, _our _daughter, _our _Elsa, into harm's way because of a prophesy I just learned about today." He swallowed. "And I don't think telling her will help her control her powers any more than she can already."

Iduna's shoulders sagged. "You're right," she murmured, pulling her scarf back on. "Even if we have the 'why,' we don't have the 'what now'."

"A 'why' is still something." Agnarr leaned forward, kissing her forehead. "And we can bring both of our backgrounds into our search." He half-smiled at her, then got to his feet, holding out a hand to help her up. She pulled her scarf tighter around her shoulders, watching as Agnarr walked over to the window.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "I thought I'd let your friend in. And…maybe you could ask her to forgive me for earlier?" he asked with a small smile.

Iduna laughed, walking over to join him as—with no small amount of effort—Agnarr opened the large window. Immediately, a gust of wind blew in, jostling the drapes and pulling her loose hair every which way. A hard gust hit Agnarr, nearly knocking him over. Iduna took his arm.

"We've worked things out," she said. "And he's sorry for upsetting you."

The wind stilled, then gave one last gust, mussing Agnarr's hair before pushing them both toward the window.

"Is she trying to knock us out?" Agnarr asked with a small laugh, though he did wrap a strong arm around Iduna. She shook her head.

"No. She wants me to go home," she said with a sigh. "If we could get through the mist, it's where I'd say we should go." She shook her head. "But you know as well as I do that's impossible."

Agnarr sighed as the wind died down, hugging Iduna closer to him. She leaned against him, looking up to assure him that it was all right, she made her choice and the people she loved most were right here. But there was a strange glint in his green eyes, like when he'd found a curious passage in a book.

"What's that river, the one you sing about in the lullabies you sang the girls?"

She blinked. "You listened?"

"Of course I listened," he said, looking down at her with a smile. "There were some days where hearing it was the best part of my day." The curious look returned. "But what's the name of it?"

"Ahtohallan."

"And it has the answers to every question?"

"Y…yes."

"Is it real?"

"A real place? Well, yes. I mean, I think so."

He turned her, gripping her shoulders as he met her eyes brightly. "Then Ahtohallan will have the answers to _Elsa_, too. Beyond the why, we'll know _what _to do with her powers."

Iduna stared up at him, then shook her head. "No. Going to Ahtohallan is a fool's errand. At least one person would die every year because they got it in their heads that they could brave the Dark Sea and find out Ahtohallan's secrets. I'm not having you make the same mistake."

"But we have the resources…and, and the knowledge! I mean, we couldn't go right this moment, but by the time spring comes? When the sea's fair?" Agnarr squeezed her arms. "You were right, Iduna. There's so much more to the world than Arendelle, and the answers for Elsa _must _be out past our territory lines."

Iduna stared at him, lips tight. She knew the dangers of going to Ahtohallan. If the sea didn't kill them, who knew what was actually inside?

But…with the forest sealed away, where else could they find the answers for something like this?

"I'm going with you," she finally said. "I know what the dangers are, and I know where the legends say it is. Not to mention that I don't want you going off where you might never return by yourself." She bit her lip. "But what will we tell the girls? Even Anna would worry if we say we're going to a forbidden island in the Dark Sea."

"We have that wedding invitation over in Corona. It falls around the time we'd leave." He smiled at her. "And we'll come back. I know we will." He hugged Iduna tightly to him. "And finally, things will be set _right._"

Iduna hugged him back, arms aching slightly from how hard she clung to him. Her eyes drifted toward the window, out to where the wind played with the leaves before dancing out to the ocean.

There was no guarantee this would work. A large part of her felt as though they'd just agreed to head to their deaths. But…if Agnarr was right. If they survived and were able to help Elsa find her strength and control…

If she could finally see her _home _again_…_

Then it had to be worth it.


End file.
